Cairo, Egypt

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Hello! It’s been awhile since my last post on my Blog. Today I want to tell you a bit about Cairo and my climb to the top of the Great Pyramid in Giza.

When I arrived at the airport in Cairo I knew that my hotel was located near the Talaat Harb Square but not where exactly. I wanted to take the metro in the early morning to Ramses Station and try to find my hotel. I decided to wait outside but that was a little problem. Around 10 people came up to me asking me for taxis. It is difficult to describe but I do not trust anybody of the taxi drivers. My thoughts were: “Maybe the driver will take me to a side street and he will rob me”. After 2 hours sitting around and doing nothing I decided to take a taxi to my hotel.

Before I entered the taxi I made a fix price with the driver (160 EGP). When I arrived at the hotel he wanted 50€ from me. I eased and gave him the money. These were my first impressions.

Talaat Harb Square

Talaat Harb Square from above. To get on rooftops in Cairo in the center is nearly impossible. The security level is high, armed soldiers everywhere. I felt safe but somehow not.

Tahrir Square the place of the Egyptian Revolution. From above it looks ordered but if you try to cross a street you are in a big traffic chaos. I could only cross a street by following the residents.

I could only spent 1 minute on this rooftop. During my visit the Chinese president was also there so the fear of an attack could be felt.

What you really have to say. The Arab people in my hotel were really kind. They offered me tea as much as I wanted and gave me tips what I can do in Cairo. My hotel didn’t feel like a hotel it felt like somebody would host me in his home. We had long conversations about interesting things.

The next day I wanted to explore Cairo from above. From above everything changes. On the streets everything seems to be noisy and disordered but from above it’s quiet and peaceful.

You can see the Nile in the background.

During my visit the air was never clear. Too many people too much exhaust gas in the air.

ERTU Building in Cairo

Cairo Tower (187m)

During my visit I met around 5 other tourists or less. Many people told me that tourism in Egypt is deficient. After the Egyptian Revolution tourists are afraid to go to Egypt. It’s really sad because Cairo is such an interesting city with a lot of history.

Now it’s time for my favorite part of my visit. The pyramid of Giza. The last standing world wonder. I took a taxi to the area of Giza where the pyramids are located. The hotel organized me a taxi with a fair price.

It is inconceivable that the pyramids were made without any machines. If you are standing in front of the pyramid it’s stunning.

Walking around in the complex I was waiting for the right moment to start climbing The Great Pyramid of Giza. When I started climbing a street seller was standing behind me but I didn’t care about him I turned around he laughed and I continued climbing.

At the half some people got attention on me and looked up to. That’s how the police spotted me. They shouted something in Arabic I think but I didn’t care and kept going while listening to music.

From the very top of the Cheops Pyramid. It took me around 8 minutes to reach the top. Climbing down took me 20 minutes. Safety first!

In the background you can see Giza. Before my trip I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to go to Cairo but I was happy that I went there. Together against terror. At the last day there was a terror attack near the pyramids. A few people have been killed. That made me even thoughtfully.

Thank you for your attention. Until next time! Make sure to check out my video on YouTube from the pyramid climb!

When I was 20 I also went to Egypt (my 2nd trip only by myself) passing Yugoslavia, Greece, Israel, from there to Suez, Cairo, Theben – all by train, ship, bus… I was inside the Pyramids and also on the Pyramids: claustrophobia changed to agarophobia, since the channels inside are really tight, and by climbing the rocks outside I realiced how seeeeep it is, so I went back after some 20 or 30 meters. It was a very emotional encounter.

When I was there in 1986 a guy on the bus from Israel explained to me how to climb the great pyramid by going there around dawn and climbing up an edge, so I did it too. I was not in a hurry to climb up so was enjoying the climb and took a few pictures, too. This was in the days when video cameras were huge and heavy (and expensive) so I only had my SLR camera, which was heavy enough. Anyway, 30 years later is nothing in the life-span of a pyramid, but here’s what it looked like then:
Wait, how do I post a picture here? I don’t see a photo link? If you send me an email link where I can reach you, I’ll send you my pictures from Cheops andyou can post them, if you like.